Nothing like the sandbelt in my opinion. Try playing tournament golf on one. When the greens are rock hard and fast. Ballstriking and putting need to be on the money. Melbourne courses kill Sydney's and qlds!

Well like I said it is all opinion based, but let me refer you to US Golf Digest rankings of the top 100 courses outside the US, I think they did a decent job and I’m sure they took a lot of time to put this together;

I find Kingston Heath to be fairly flat and quite boring to look out, royal Melbourne seems a little more dramatic. But I agree if they were on the coast u would be looking at some serious contenders for top 10

Definition of insanity…thinking that u can be a good parent and decrease ur handicap at the same time!

That's why NSWGc is so good. Laughable that's 5th or something in Aust GD Top 100.

Well like I said it is all opinion based, but let me refer you to US Golf Digest rankings of the top 100 courses outside the US, I think they did a decent job and I’m sure they took a lot of time to put this together;

WTF…..what’s the point…...its like me saying if u put Pine Valley, Augusta and Pebble next to that they would be better???

It's pretty simple really... The scenery is a major contributing factor to its high rating. But if you simply compare the golf course itself then it wouldnt be so high. Not that hard to understand I wouldn't have thought.

Well like I said it is all opinion based, but let me refer you to US Golf Digest rankings of the top 100 courses outside the US, I think they did a decent job and I’m sure they took a lot of time to put this together;

WTF…..what’s the point……its like me saying if u put Pine Valley, Augusta and Pebble next to that they would be better???

It’s pretty simple really… The scenery is a major contributing factor to its high rating. But if you simply compare the golf course itself then it wouldnt be so high. Not that hard to understand I wouldn’t have thought.

What are the criteria for deciding they are over-rated and who makes the judgement? On the latter, I suspect the answer as to whether they are over-rated depends to an extent on whether it is a professional golfer, a golf architect, an A grade amateur golfer or a C grade amateur golfer and obviously to an extent on whether they have played enough different types of courses to have a considered opinion (and perhaps on whether they have given the issue any great consideration). Bear in mind also that the difference in top courses is probably marginal. Most top 20 or 30 courses appear to have one or perhaps two stand out holes but I suspect that the quality of the rest do not vary much from course to course.
I have played over 150 courses including Barnbougle Dunes, Lost Farm, Victoria, Huntingdale, Woodlands, the Lakes, Royal Adelaide, Newcastle, the National (all 3 courses), Moonah Links (both courses), the Dunes, St Andrews (Mornington), the Lakes, Concord, St Michaels, Bonville, Hope Island, 13th Beach, Yarra Yarra, Kingswood, Long Island, Brookwater, the Vintage, Joondalup and Concord. I have not played Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, NSW, Royal Sydney, Ellerston, Commonwealth or countless others.
I am a C grade golfer (B for a few years) and my home club is in Canberra.
My guess is that sandbelt courses as a whole are over-rated. Being a sandbelt course is not enough in itself to be highly rated but I suspect that it gives some extra points/cachet to each such course.

What are the criteria for deciding they are over-rated and who makes the judgement? On the latter, I suspect the answer as to whether they are over-rated depends to an extent on whether it is a professional golfer, a golf architect, an A grade amateur golfer or a C grade amateur golfer and obviously to an extent on whether they have played enough different types of courses to have a considered opinion (and perhaps on whether they have given the issue any great consideration). Bear in mind also that the difference in top courses is probably marginal. Most top 20 or 30 courses appear to have one or perhaps two stand out holes but I suspect that the quality of the rest do not vary much from course to course.

I have played over 150 courses including Barnbougle Dunes, Lost Farm, Victoria, Huntingdale, Woodlands, the Lakes, Royal Adelaide, Newcastle, the National (all 3 courses), Moonah Links (both courses), the Dunes, St Andrews (Mornington), the Lakes, Concord, St Michaels, Bonville, Hope Island, 13th Beach, Yarra Yarra, Kingswood, Long Island, Brookwater, the Vintage, Joondalup and Concord. I have not played Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, NSW, Royal Sydney, Ellerston, Commonwealth or countless others.

I am a C grade golfer (B for a few years) and my home club is in Canberra.

My guess is that sandbelt courses as a whole are over-rated. Being a sandbelt course is not enough in itself to be highly rated but I suspect that it gives some extra points/cachet to each such course.

the level of how much they are "over rated" depends on how highly they are rated to start with. Of the above, I would actually say Yarra Yarra (34th), commonwealth(31st) and Huntingdale(38th) aren't over rated, because if you look at the slide in rankings they've had, it's probably almost the other way now...
unless you think they should be rated even lower than that?
if you're referring to the top ranked ones, I suspect anyone who played the masters in the last two years or the presidents cup last year, probably doesn't think the sandbelt is over rated...
if you want over rated based on a name or reputation, you maybe should be looking in the larger state to the north of Victoria, some serious crap up there that sits way higher in the top 100...

Agreed on the stuff in NSW, not that much to get excited about when compared to the sand belt.
The little territory in NSW has not got much to get excited about unless you are an arborist. A very handy arborist with his trusty chainsaw will no doubt improve the best offering in the territory.

I have played over 150 courses including Barnbougle Dunes, Lost Farm, Victoria, Huntingdale, Woodlands, the Lakes, Royal Adelaide, Newcastle, the National (all 3 courses), Moonah Links (both courses), the Dunes, St Andrews (Mornington), the Lakes, Concord, St Michaels, Bonville, Hope Island, 13th Beach, Yarra Yarra, Kingswood, Long Island, Brookwater, the Vintage, Joondalup and Concord. I have not played Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, NSW, Royal Sydney, Ellerston, Commonwealth or countless others. My guess is that sandbelt courses as a whole are over-rated. Being a sandbelt course is not enough in itself to be highly rated but I suspect that it gives some extra points/cachet to each such course.
Golferjohn, until you have played the sandbelt courses that are being rated and discussed, then your speculation has zero credibility. The closest you have gotten to a true sandbelt look and feel is at Victoria GC. How many times have you played it btw ?
Unless you have played a course in several different conditions and seasons you will only have a once off experience to base your opinion from.
Jon...